Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

2008

Dive into the Battlestar Galactica board game! Play as your favorite characters, uncover hidden Cylons, and navigate crises to ensure humanity's survival.

180
minutes

3 - 6
player(s)

14+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a deeply immersive, semi-cooperative board game that plunges you into the depths of interstellar conflict and political intrigue. The game is based on the critically acclaimed television series, “Battlestar Galactica,” and it captures the tense, volatile atmosphere of the series with finesse.

The theme of the game is set in the dystopian universe of Battlestar Galactica. Humanity has been nearly wiped out by the Cylons, robotic beings once created by humans. The survivors have gathered in a fleet of starships and are desperately trying to reach the mythical planet Earth. As players, you are members of this beleaguered fleet, each with your own abilities and flaws, working together to keep the fleet safe while dealing with crises and threats from within and without.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is an exciting game of mistrust, intrigue, and the struggle for survival. Here’s how you can set it up:

Step 1: Determining Player Roles

Each player chooses a character from the Character Cards. Characters fall into one of four types: Political Leaders, Military Leaders, Pilots, and Support.
Each player takes the matching character token and stand, along with any skill cards listed on the character card.
Shuffle the Loyalty Cards and deal one to each player. This determines if a player is a Cylon or a human. The players keep their Loyalty Card secret.

Step 2: Board Placement

Place the main game board in the center of the play area. This board represents the Battlestar Galactica.
Arrange the smaller, Cylon Fleet board to one side.
Place the character tokens on the corresponding spaces on the game board.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Set the resource dials on the game board to their starting positions: Fuel 8, Food 8, Morale 10, and Population 12.
Each player draws a hand of Skill Cards based on their character’s abilities.
The player who chose William Adama as their character, or the player who chose the character highest in the line of succession if he is not in the game, takes the Admiral Title Card and the two nuke tokens. They also draw one Crisis Card.
The player who chose Laura Roslin, or the player who chose the character highest in the Presidential line of succession if she is not in the game, takes the President Title Card and the Quorum deck. They draw one Quorum Card.

Step 4: Random Elements

Shuffle the Quorum, Crisis, Super Crisis, Loyalty, and Destination cards separately and place them face down next to the game board.
Shuffle the Skill Cards and divide them into five separate decks according to their type. Place these decks face down next to the game board.
Place the eight Vipers and four Raptors in the “Reserves” area of the game board. Place the remaining Vipers and Raptors, along with the civilian ships, next to the game board.
Place the Cylon ships next to the Cylon Fleet board.

With these steps, you’re all set to start playing Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. Remember, trust no one and keep your eyes open for signs of Cylon activity!

Game flow Round and round we go

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a complex, semi-cooperative game where players take on the roles of characters from the series, each with their own abilities and weaknesses. Each player’s goal is to secure the survival of the human race and reach Earth, but some may be secretly working as Cylons to sabotage the humans’ efforts.

The game is executed in a series of rounds, with each round consisting of three phases: the Action Phase, the Crisis Phase, and the Activation Phase.

Action Phase: During this phase, the current player can perform one of the following actions:

Move to a different location within Galactica or Colonial One.
Draw a Skill Card of any type that their character is eligible to draw.
Activate a location they are currently occupying to perform a specific action associated with that location.
Play an Action card from their hand.

Crisis Phase: In this phase, the current player draws the top card from the Crisis deck. Based on the card, players may need to make a difficult decision, take a Skill check, or face an attack from Cylon ships. The Crisis card often moves the fleet closer to Earth and ends the current player’s turn.

Activation Phase: If there is a Cylon ship or a base star icon on the drawn Crisis card, the Cylon ships will activate during this phase. The specific type of Cylon ship that activates is determined by the icon shown on the Crisis card.

After the Activation phase, play moves to the next player clockwise and a new round begins with the Action phase. The game continues in this cycle until either the humans reach Earth, the Cylons destroy Galactica, or another victory condition is met as described in the game rules.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game’, each player’s turn is composed of several phases that allow them to perform a series of actions and make strategic decisions. As a semi-cooperative game with a traitor mechanic, the choices made can significantly impact the group’s survival chances and reveal potential Cylons among the crew.

1. Draw Phase

During the Draw Phase, the current player draws cards from several skill decks, based on their character’s abilities. These cards can be used to contribute to skill checks or for their special abilities.

2. Movement Phase

In the Movement Phase, the player can move their character to a different location on either Galactica or Colonial One, provided they are not in the Brig. Moving to a location on a different ship requires the player to discard a skill card.

3. Action Phase

The Action Phase is the core of the player’s turn. Depending on their location, they can:

Activate a location: Each location has a specific action that can be activated. For example, launching a Viper at the Hangar Deck or drawing two politics cards at the President’s Office.
Play a card: Action cards from skill decks can be played during this phase, providing a range of options from healing characters to launching attacks on Cylon ships.
Attack a Cylon ship: If the player is piloting a Viper, they can attack a nearby Cylon ship.
Activate a special ability: Each character has a unique special ability that can be activated during this phase.

4. Crisis Phase

In the Crisis Phase, a Crisis Card is drawn and resolved. These cards represent various challenges and threats that the crew must overcome. Most crises involve a skill check, where players secretly contribute skill cards to reach a certain value. If successful, the crisis is averted; if not, negative effects occur. Some crises also include a Cylon attack or advance the jump preparation track.

5. Prepare for Jump Phase

If the crisis card has a jump icon, the fleet advances one step towards jumping. If the fleet jumps, all Cylon ships are removed from the board, but a premature jump may result in the loss of population.

Through these phases and actions, players work together to keep Galactica safe while weeding out any potential Cylons among them. However, with the constant threat of attacks, resource shortages, and potential betrayal, every decision can have far-reaching consequences.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is an engaging and suspenseful board game where the end of the game is determined by a variety of possible victory conditions, or when the Galactica reaches Kobol. At this point, the game will end and all players will proceed with the final scoring.

Victory Conditions:

There are two main factions in the game, the humans and the cylons. Each faction has their own distinct victory conditions.

Human Victory:

The human players win the game if they manage to jump the fleet enough times to reach the distance of at least 8 and then jump one more time to reach Kobol.

Cylon Victory:

The cylon players win if the Galactica is destroyed, which occurs when six or more damage tokens are in the “Galactica” section of the board.
Cylons also win if the human resources (Fuel, Food, Morale, or Population) are depleted to zero.
Another way for the cylons to win is if a cylon boarding party manages to reach the end of the “Boarding Party” track.

Actions Before Final Scoring:

Once the game ends, players must proceed with the final scoring. Before that, there are few actions players must take:

Reveal all Loyalty Cards: Players must reveal all their Loyalty Cards. This is to determine if there are any unrevealed Cylon players or sympathizers.
Count the Distance: The human players must count the total distance they have travelled. If the total distance covered is 8 or more and they have made one more successful jump, they win the game.
Assess Resources and Damage: All players must assess the current state of resources and damage to the Galactica. If any of the resources are depleted or if the Galactica is too damaged, the Cylons win.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a unique game that does not use a conventional points-based scoring system. Instead, the victory condition is met through survival and completion of objectives rather than collecting points. The game is divided into two teams: the humans and the Cylons. The end goal for each team varies.

For the humans, the objective is to keep the Battlestar Galactica intact and reach the planet Kobol. This is achieved by:

Maintaining the Galactica’s resources (food, fuel, morale, and population) above zero.
Traveling a distance of at least 8 units.
Performing one final jump after reaching the 8-distance mark.

On the other hand, the Cylons aim to stop the humans from achieving their goal. They can win by:

Depleting any one of Galactica’s resources to zero.
Destroying the Galactica through boarding parties or direct damage.
Ensuring the humans do not reach the required distance before the ‘sleeper agent’ phase.

Tie-breaking rules: In the rare event of a tie or stalemate, the game does not provide specific tie-breaking rules, as the nature of the game does not lend itself to such scenarios. However, if the players agree on a stalemate or cannot find a resolution, a common suggestion is to use the following tie-breaker: The side (humans or Cylons) with the most resources remaining is declared the winner.

In conclusion, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is not about accruing points, but rather surviving amidst adversity and deception. The winner is determined by which side fulfills their objectives first.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

‘Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game’ is a complex game with many special rules and exceptions. Here are some of the key ones you need to know:

Cylon Players: As a general rule, players who are revealed as Cylons must move to the Cylon Fleet location, but there are exceptions:

If the player has the “Cylon Sympathizer” card, they must reveal themselves but remain in their current location.
If a player is in the “Brig” or “Sickbay” when they reveal themselves as a Cylon, they do not move to the Cylon Fleet location.

Admiral and President Titles: If a player holding the Admiral or President title becomes a revealed Cylon, the title passes to the next player in line of succession. However, if they are in the Brig when they reveal themselves, they retain their title.

Line of Succession: Contrary to the usual order of succession, the ‘Political Leader’ character can take the President title directly from the President by using the ‘Administration’ location.

Quorum Cards: Quorum cards can only be played by the President. If the President is a hidden Cylon, they may not play Quorum cards. However, if they are a revealed Cylon, they may play Quorum cards, but only the ones that directly affect the current crisis.

Resolving Crises: When resolving a crisis, players must first resolve the skill check. Only then can they resolve the other effects on the card, and they must do so in the order listed.

Executing Players: If a human player is executed, they lose all their cards and draw a new character. However, if a Cylon player is executed, they do not lose their cards or draw a new character. Instead, they move to the ‘Resurrection Ship’ location.

Jumping the Fleet: When the fleet jumps, all civilian ships left behind are destroyed. However, if the Admiral orders a jump before the ‘Jump Preparation’ track is full, a ‘Die Roll’ is required. If the result is less than 7, a random population is lost.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game where players work together to reach Earth while dealing with crises and threats from within the ship. However, one or more players may secretly be Cylons working against the human players. Here are some strategies, tips, and common mistakes to avoid in the game:

Advanced Strategies:

In the early game, try to gain as many skill cards as possible. They are crucial in passing skill checks, which can greatly affect the success of the mission.
Keep an eye on the ‘jump’ track. It’s often better to risk population loss by jumping early than to suffer heavy damage from a Cylon fleet.
If you’re a Cylon, remember subtlety is key. Too much overt sabotage can reveal your identity. Instead, aim to increase distrust and confusion amongst the human players.

Beginner Tips:

Ensure you understand the game’s rules and mechanics. It’s a complex game, and missing out on important rules can lead to confusion.
Try to contribute to skill checks whenever possible, but keep in mind that you need to conserve your cards for future rounds.
Communicate with your team. If you’re a human, try to work out who the Cylons might be. If you’re a Cylon, sow distrust and keep the humans guessing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Don’t reveal your role too early, whether you’re a human or a Cylon. The element of surprise is crucial in this game.
Avoid using all your skill cards at once. They are a valuable resource and should be used wisely.
Don’t forget about the ‘jump’ mechanic. It’s easy to get caught up in other aspects of the game and forget about this crucial escape option.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Keep track of who contributes to skill checks and what type of cards they play. This information can be useful in figuring out who might be a Cylon.
Use your character’s special abilities to your advantage. Each character has unique strengths that can greatly influence the game.
Plan ahead. Consider what actions other players might take and how you can respond to them.